Vegan Buddha Bowl

Vegan Buddha Bowl with tofu and Thai sauce is a nutritious, healthy one bowl meal that will make you feel good about yourself. Loaded with brown rice, marinated tofu, fresh vegetables and herbs, this bowl is made extra delicious by the addition of a creamy and spicy Thai sauce that will simply blow your mind. Takes 30 mins to make and is great for weeknight dinners and rainy evenings. What more could you want!

I have always been a little enamored by the French. Not just the country or the people, but more importantly by their food. I love French food, as is evident by my blog moniker I should think. All that butter and cream, more butter and even more cream!! Oh mon dieu! Its everything my heart wants. So is our good old Indian food by the way. All the masala, the buttery gravies, the chickpeas andinstant naan, the stuffed parathas that make mornings seem worthwhile again. These last few days I have been indulging my palate to a smorgasbord of awesome dishes. Ranging from the classic Croque monsier to the more luxurious savory crepes in the morning to Poori alu dum for rainy dinner nights and palak paneer for lunches, I have given in to my indulgent senses and been enjoying the monsoons with everything tasty in the universe. But hey, guess the side effect of this continual indulgence!?? Burn Out.

So, I decided to get healthier, eat a little more responsibly and try to get more nutrition packed into one meal than just butter and cream (no offense to the French, I will be back soon enough). Its been raining quite a bit here. Fine. That’s an understatement of the century. Its been grey and damp and rainy and cold for the past 4 days, add to that what seems like my never ending allergies and sniveling, and I was ready for some comfort food. I wanted rice. Yup. The Indian in me craves rice almost once in 3 days and I have to give in and treat myself if I want to sleep at all that night. However, I did try to make things a tad healthier and finally bought a pack of organic brown rice from Fabindia. Its amazing and so much healthier than regular rice. I usually end up making a fresh Thai noodle soup for days like these, but since I craved rice, I decided to switch things up a bit and make a Vegan Buddha Bowl!

Shake things up and get healthy with this Vegan Buddha Bowl!

What’s a Vegan Buddha bowl you ask?? No. It doesn’t mean you get to eat food from a bowl shaped like Buddha (literally). I am getting to it , have some patience for cryin’ out loud. We are talking of Buddha after all!

I first had these delicious and extremely healthy vegan Buddha bowls when I was in Thailand. That trip simply deepened my love for Thai cuisine and I can seriously have Thai every day. So, these vegan Buddha bowls are basically a one pot meal that is loaded with nutrition and healthy vegetables. I think what makes these vegan Buddha bowls even more healthy is the fact that they are topped with some tofu marinated in peanut butter and Thai sweet chili sauce. Then we go and add tons of colorful veggies ( yes, I am going to say veggies coz its more fun, sue me) , fresh herbs, fragrant basil, crunchy roasted peanuts and finally drizzle the most awesome sauce ever on it. Result? This bowl brimming with healthy colorful protein-rich, fiber- laden awesomeness. Yup, this vegan Buddha bowl has it all!

To start with, make a simple stir fry of rice. I typically use leftover rice for this, toss it up in some cold pressed sesame oil and ginger and thats it. Keep it aside. Marinate the tofu well, 2 hours before cooking time. Of course you are free to swap tofu with any protein of your choice. I am talking chicken, turkey, beef anything. Or may be even paneer (cottage cheese). The veggies are pretty much upto you too. You can use as much or as less as you want, although I highly recommend colored bell peppers and carrots! They are very good for you and are full of fiber. Add some blanched broccolli (or go raw if you are brave enough), few grilled kernels of corn, radish, cucumber, whatever sings to your heart and makes you feel like eating it straight up. Then top with a lot of fresh herbs, I went with fragrant basil and coriander here, squeeze in some lime juice, add some roasted peanuts and drizzle on that sauce.

I know ..it sounds like there is a lot going on and it will take forever, but seriously its all ready in a matter of 20 -30 mins at the max. The sauce is again a super simple thing where you just mix a few thing from jars and bottle and voila… this gorgeous gorgeous things is ready to go over your vegan Buddha bowl. It was so perfect. The sauce for this vegan Buddha bowl was creamy, spicy, slightly sweet, tangy and pungent all at the same time and so well balanced!! This is where you have to use your own discretion and make sure the sauce tastes good for you. So go on and make this vegan Buddha bowl and treat yourself to a bowl of goodness this week. After all, you are what you eat. Lets make it good!

If you are looking for more Thai inspirations, here’s a few of my favorites.

Vegan Buddha Bowl with tofu and Thai sauce is a nutritious, healthy one bowl meal that will make you feel good about yourself. Loaded with brown rice, marinated tofu, fresh vegetables and herbs, this quick one bowl vegan meal will simply blow your mind.

Start with slicing the tofu into batons of 1 1/2 inch length. marinate it in peanut butter and Thai chili sauce, salt for at least two hours.
When ready, Simply grill them or cook them on a skillet for 5 mins till crisp on outside and soft inside. Turn over once. Set aside.

For the rice:
I use leftover rice, saute in a splash of sesame oil and 1/2 inch ginger chopped. Remove. Set aside.
Chop all the veggies and keep aside.

Make the sauce by mixing everything well. Taste and adjust as per taste. Keep in refrigerator till ready for use.

To make the Buddha bowl :
Add some fresh herbs to the bowl, top it with half the rice in one bowl. Next add the fresh vegetables on the rice, top it with the grilled tofu. Add more herbs, roasted peanuts, a squeeze of lime and finally drizzle on the sauce.
Enjoy!

Even though we have been suffering with 100+ heat I would still eat this bowl. All by myself. No sharing. We are just starting to get rain every afternoon, which is good for my electric bill, and my lawn, but not good for tennis practice. I really need to start making more butter gravies. I am starting a new diet and butter is on the list so I need something to go with my boring chicken!

This all looks really delicious! It’s so much more practical to eat a larger meal that is packed with nutrients when you’re trying to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Nicely done! Thanks so much for sharing the recipe!